Word & Chemical Equations (Edexcel IGCSE Science (Double Award))
Revision Note
Written by: Stewart Hird
Reviewed by: Lucy Kirkham
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Writing equations
New substances are made during chemical reactions
However, the same atoms are always present before and after reaction
They have just joined up in different ways
Atoms cannot be created or destroyed, so if they exist in the reactants then they absolutely must be in the products!
Because of this the total mass of reactants is always equal to the total mass of products
This idea is known as the Law of Conservation of Mass
Conservation of mass
The Law of Conservation of Mass enables us to balance chemical equations, since no atoms can be lost or created
You should be able to:
Write word equations for reactions outlined in these notes
Write formulae and balanced chemical equations for the reactions in these note
How to write word equations
Word equations show the reactants and products of a chemical reaction using their full chemical names
reactants → products
The reactants are those substances on the left-hand side of the arrow
They can be thought of as the chemical ingredients of the reaction
They react with each other to form new substances, which are the products
The products are on the right-hand side of the arrow
The arrow (which is spoken as “to form” or “produces”) implies the conversion of reactants into products
Reaction conditions or the name of a catalyst (a substance added to make a reaction go faster) can be written above the arrow
An example is the reaction of sodium hydroxide (a base) and hydrochloric acid to produce sodium chloride (common table salt) and water:
sodium hydroxide + hydrochloric acid ⟶ sodium chloride + water
Worked Example
Word equations
Ammonia reacts with nitric acid to form the fertiliser ammonium nitrate. Write a word equation for the reaction taking place.
Iron(II) hydroxide and sodium sulfate are formed when iron(II) sulfate solution and sodium hydroxide react together. Write a word equation for the reaction taking place.
Carbon is the main element found in coal and burns in air to produce carbon dioxide. Write a word equation for the reaction taking place.
Answers:
Ammonia + nitric acid → ammonium nitrate
This question has all the information in the correct order
Ammonia reacts with nitric acid
This becomes ammonia + nitric acid
to form
This is the arrow in the equation
to form the fertiliser ammonium nitrate
This tells you that the product is ammonium nitrate
Iron(II) sulfate + sodium hydroxide → iron(II) hydroxide + sodium sulfate
Careful: This question has all the required information but the products are written first
Iron(II) hydroxide and sodium sulfate are formed
This becomes → iron(II) hydroxide + sodium sulfate
when iron(II) sulfate solution and sodium hydroxide react together
This becomes Iron(II) sulfate + sodium hydroxide →
Carbon + oxygen → carbon dioxide
Careful: Not all of the required information is given in the question
You are expected to know that burning in air means that the chemical is reacting with oxygen
Carbon... ...burns in air
This becomes carbon + oxygen
to produce
This is the arrow in the equation
to produce carbon dioxide
This tells you that the product is carbon dioxide
How to write balanced equations
A symbol equation uses the formulae of the reactants and products to show what happens in a chemical reaction
When writing symbol equations, you should:
Ensure reactants are on the left of the equation and products are on the right
Write the following non-metals as molecules: H2, N2, O2, F2, Cl2, Br2 and I2
Include state symbols
Solid = (s)
Liquid = (l)
Gas = (g)
Aqueous = (aq)
You need to be confident using the state symbols (s), (l), (g) and (aq)
You will not need to include them in all equations unless you are specifically asked to
However, it is good practice to include state symbols in your equations so that you don't miss any marks
A symbol equation must be balanced to give the correct ratio of reactants and products:
For example, the combustion of sulfur:
S (s) + O2 (g)→ SO2 (g)
This equation shows that one atom of sulfur, S, reacts with one molecule of oxygen, O2, to make one molecule of sulfur dioxide, SO2
Balancing equations
When balancing equations, there must be the same number of atoms of each element on either side of the equation following the Law of Conservation of Mass
To balance an equation you work across the equation from left to right, checking one element after another
If there is a group of atoms such as a nitrate group (NO3–) that has not changed from one side to the other, then count the whole group as one entity rather than counting the individual atoms
Examples of balanced symbol / chemical equations include:
Acid-base neutralisation reaction:
NaOH (aq) + HCl (aq) ⟶ NaCl (aq) + H2O (l)
Redox reaction:
2Fe2O3 (aq) + 3C (s) ⟶ 4Fe (s) + 3CO2 (g)
In each equation, there are equal numbers of each atom on either side of the reaction arrow so the equations are balanced
The best approach is to practice lot of examples of balancing equations
This can be by trial and error - changing the coefficients (numbers) in front of the formulae one by one and checking the result on the other side
Balance elements that appear on their own, last in the process
Worked Example
Aluminium reacts with copper(II) oxide to produce aluminium oxide and copper. Balance the symbol equation for the reaction taking place.
Al (s) + CuO (s) ⟶ Al2O3 (s) + Cu (s)
Answer:
The balanced symbol equation is:
2Al (s) + 3CuO (s) ⟶ Al2O3 (s) + 3Cu (s)
Step 1 - balancing aluminium atoms
There are 2 aluminium atoms on the product side, so 2 aluminium atoms are needed on the reactant side
2Al + CuO ⟶ Al2O3 + _Cu
Step 2 - balancing oxygen atoms
There are 3 oxygen atoms on the product side, so 3 oxygen atoms are needed on the reactant side
This means that 3 CuO will be needed as we cannot change the chemical formula
2Al + 3CuO ⟶ Al2O3 + Cu
Step 3 - balancing copper atoms
There are 3 copper atoms on the reactant side, so 3 copper atoms are needed on the product side
2Al + 3CuO ⟶ _Al2O3 + 3Cu
The equation is now balanced
Worked Example
When magnesium oxide, MgO, reacts with nitric acid, HNO3, it forms magnesium nitrate, Mg(NO3)2, and water. Write a symbol equation for this reaction.
Answer:
The balanced symbol equation is:
MgO (s) + 2HNO3 (aq) ⟶ Mg(NO3)2 (aq) + H2O (l)
Step 1 - writing the unbalanced equation
Magnesium oxide, MgO, reacts with nitric acid, HNO3, it forms magnesium nitrate, Mg(NO3)2, and water
MgO + HNO3 ⟶ Mg(NO3)2 + H2O
The Mg and O atoms (not including the O in the NO3 group appear to be balanced), so we should focus on the H atoms and NO3 groups
Step 2 - balancing hydrogen atoms
There are 2 hydrogen atoms on the product side, so 2 hydrogen atoms are needed on the reactant side
This means that 2 HNO3 will be needed as we cannot change the chemical formula
MgO + 2HNO3 ⟶ Mg(NO3)2 + H2O
This also balances the nitrate, NO3, groups
Step 3 - checking the equation
The equation appears balanced so we need to check that it is
Reactant side:
1 Mg atom
1 O atom - not including those in the NO3 group
2 H atoms
2 NO3 groups - remember to keep groups as a single entity if they are unchanged on both sides of the equation
Product side:
1 Mg atom
2 NO3 groups - remember to keep groups as a single entity if they are unchanged on both sides of the equation
2 H atoms
1 O atom - not including those in the NO3 group
The equation is now balanced
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Careful: A common mistake when balancing symbol equations is to add, change or remove small numbers in the chemical formula of a substance
You cannot do this because it changes what the substance is
For example, if a product was water, H2O, and you added a second oxygen to make it H2O2 then it is no longer water
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